This blog answers common questions about criminal law and discusses recent events from the perspective of a criminal lawyer – e.g., why more bankers are not indicted; what to do if you are arrested; and so on.

In the previous blog I discussed identity theft cases. I will now discuss bank fraud and why it is so hard to charge the very greediest bankers at the top. Although such identity theft cases can involve hundreds of thousands of dollars, they are small beans compared to bank fraud, specifically fraud surrounding real estate loans–called mortgages …
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Here in Seattle, federal prosecutors have a conviction rate that easily exceeds 90%.. In simple terms if you are indicted here in federal court, don’t buy bulk at Costco.. Having defended people charged in federal court for the last 20 years, which mea…
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Here in Seattle, federal prosecutors have a conviction rate that easily exceeds 90%.. In simple terms if you are indicted here in federal court, don’t buy bulk at Costco.. Having defended people charged in federal court for the last 20 years, which means over 200 cases, I can count on two hands the number of people who have totally walked away from a federal indictment …
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What is a ‘domestic violence’ case? Legally it involves a variety of crimes, such as assault, harassment, or malicious mischief (destruction of property), between spouses, family members, people in dating relationships, and household members.. Si…
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What is a ‘domestic violence’ case? Legally it involves a variety of crimes, such as assault, harassment, or malicious mischief (destruction of property), between spouses, family members, people in dating relationships, and household members.. Since 1984, state law (RCW 10.31.100(2)(c))has required the police to arrest anyone over 16 for a domestic assault if there is probable cause to believe it has occurred recently …
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In over 30 years as a Seattle defense attorney, I have defended people accused of all sorts of crimes from DUI to murder, clients occasionally ask me: “do you believe I am innocent?” Typically the defendant who asks that tends to be experienced–perhap…
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In over 30 years as a Seattle defense attorney, I have defended people accused of all sorts of crimes from DUI to murder, clients occasionally ask me: “do you believe I am innocent?” Typically the defendant who asks that tends to be experienced–perhaps in the wrong way. That is, they’ve been here before …
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A high school girl was interviewing me for a class last week, wanting to know what did I like best about defending the accused. It only took a moment as my gaze fell on some thank you cards from former clients. The joy of helping someone who later appr…
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A high school girl was interviewing me for a class last week, wanting to know what did I like best about defending the accused. It only took a moment as my gaze fell on some thank you cards from former clients. The joy of helping someone who later appreciates it. I showed her the thank you cards and an annual Christmas card I get from one client I represented when he was in high school like her …
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What happens at the first court appearance (intake) for misdemeanors?If the crime is a DUI or domestic violence misdemeanor, you must appear for the arraignment. That is the court appearance at which the charge is formally presented or read and invariably the plea is not guilty. Bail may also be argued at the hearing …
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